Student Performance Under Dual Language Immersion Scale-Up in Utah

This brief highlights findings from the federally funded Partnership to Study Dual Language Immersion in Utah on the academic performance of dual language immersion (DLI) students in Utah. DLI is an instructional model designed to cultivate bilingualism and biliteracy through immersive instruction in core academic content areas such as mathematics, science, and language arts. Students in DLI programs receive core-content instruction in two languages from the early grades onward. In Utah, DLI typically starts in first grade. The academic achievement of Utah students in both oneway and twoway DLI programs was examined. In oneway programs, students in a classroom share a common native language; they receive academic instruction not only in that language but also in a classroom partner language they are all learning together. In twoway programs, students in a classroom are from both native language groups (e.g., English and Spanish). The results of the study showed that students in oneway and twoway DLI programs consistently outperformed their same schoolnon-DLI counterparts on standardized tests in language arts, mathematics, and science, all of which are tested in English. This was true for native English speakers and it was true for English learners. The rapid expansion of DLI programs in Utah did not negatively impact students' academic performance.